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-I think it's-- right now it's more like a circle.
You know, it's like all through out history
in communities they've talked about what is the leadership
and all this, what's the structure and how do you
make decisions and all this. Practical things.
And I think probably the one type of whatever you want to
call it, kind of governorship or leadership or whatever
that everyone resonates the most with is consensus.
You know, where everybody's nodding, like you just were
nodding, where everybody is nodding. Except in communities
through out history they find that's most difficult because
there's dissenting opinions. They may have like 12, 13 yes's
and one no. And they don't have consensus.
So they find it very slow, almost like a grinding,
nothing gets done. That's the typical experience.
But actually for us, because we've practiced this
inner listening, and we've used no people pleasing,
no private thoughts, there's such full extension
of communication and such clarity that it's very, very,
very common for a group of us to just come
and find ourselves all hearing the same thing
and all nodding. It's just like a given.
It's not something that we have to hash it through.
We don't have to take a vote. You know, that's not even
an option for us. It's felt. It's like a shared experience.
So I would say it's more like a circle right now.
Where it's just a circle of nodding heads
is the predominant experience. Yeah and also because
the guidance-- when you say we hear the same guidance too,
and that's like for example if there's a group
that are deciding on something together, but we,
some of us are spread out, and traveling around
the United States now, some of us are in Utah,
some are in Hawii, some are in Mexico, it's not like
with Jesus and the apostles they basically lived together
and traveled together for three years. So they kind of had
decisions that would effect them. I would say back then
it would come directly through Jesus, and sometimes
he would say, "we go" and they basically,
the steward kicked into action and they packed up
the donkeys, and whatever, and they moved.
With us too, it's being so branched out in different centers
in different parts of the world, you know, again,
there's a joining. There's a deep level of communication,
but like Kirsten's saying, really there's a deep, deep
trust underneath. A very, very strong trust. And so,
often times you could say that messangers just go
and they flow, and they flow in their joy, in their love,
in their happiness. And there can be points along the way
where they'll be like, hm? A question will arise,
or perhaps even a doubt, and then there's a joining.
But now, through internet and technology it's quite easy.
You know we don't need the bodies all--
like Saint Francis and the Franciscans-- they don't all
have to be together. Whenever there's that point
of a question or a doubt there's-- you can link up
and join with somebody on Skype. Most often anytime there's
somebody on Skype. Doesn't matter what time-zone
they're in. I see Sarah nodding. It's very common,
these experiences, for us and for those who live with us,
to just go, "hm, I need to talk to somebody", go on Skype,
"okay, who's on green? Okay, there it is" bing! (snaps)
"Oh, yup. There!" (snaps) And through the joining,
it's always the joining, the praying together,
the connecting, that the answers are given.
Everything is made clear. So we have a huge emphasis
on joining. An absolute huge emphasis on communication.
When we're not just in prayer and in silence communing,
we are communicating. And it really keeps the pipe open,
(David and Francis laugh) it seems like,
keeping the communication going. And also the idea
that the family that prays together stays together.
Not stays together in body, but stays joined in Mind,
in harmony. That we really believe that. You know, there's
just a lot of prayer. A lot of focus on prayer, too.
Yeah it takes it off of personal responsibility
and throws it back on the Holy Spirit.
It's always throwing it back on the Holy Spirit.
Guide me, lead me. There's a Workbook lesson
"I will step back and let Him lead the way".
Wow, that covers it all, right there. So it's a very
given life. We're just receiving instructions,
receiving guidance, and letting it move through us
very naturally. So often times there's no words necessary,
and the prayer, it's just the puppet is getting moved
and spoken through. It's a very easy, gentle life
that way. 'Cause it's like going with the current
instead of trying to go against the current. (David laughs)
It's really truly going with the current.
And I had a friend of mine, Nasheen, he's our friend
in China, who he's the first man who brought
A Course In Miracles to China, back in 2003,
and he likes to write articles. And one time he was
going over our way of living and how we live and practice,
and he's the first one that kind of equated-- he said,
your two practical guidelines of no people pleasing,
and no private thoughts, the way you live in everyday life,
he connected that with something from the Course
which nobody had quite done in such a direct way.
And what he connected it to was the introduction
of A Course In Miracles, "nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."
He said, your two guidelines are that, in practice.
And I thought oh, I've never thought of it that way.
It was an interesting connection. 'Cause we're very much
into practicalities, we're not into just
a bunch of high theologies.
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